Daizlei Academy Omnibus Collection

by Kel Carpenter

  End this, my mind whispered.

  I threw him back against the wall with my mind. Bending down, I picked up the fallen blade and stepped closer to him.

  “Last chance. Who’s after me?”

  There was silence in the room. With his assailants dead and my companions unconscious from the blast of my reawakening, that left only us.

  “Everything will become clear very soon; that I can guarantee.”

  I was sick of the riddles and games. His time was up.

  With my last bit of strength, I beheaded the bastard.

  I was going to end this—even if it killed me.

  Chapter 53

  Pain consumed me. It covered me with its bloodstained hands. My bloodstained hands. My cuts were still bleeding, and my head throbbed. Someone was carrying me. With a jolt, I managed to pry my eyes open.

  Lucas. The sun was shining, and he was carrying me. But where? How? I tried to say something. Anything. I couldn’t find the words. Couldn’t find the strength.

  The sunlight disappeared as he hurried me somewhere . . . but Lily . . . I had to know what had happened to her. I had to know. Somewhere in me, I found my voice, but only one word would come out.

  “Lily,” I whispered.

  He looked down at me, and the world went still. His eyes—always so careful, so guarded—were filled with emotions that swirled and raged. He said something, but the blackness was already closing in. And then I was gone . . .

  ~.~.~

  First, death claimed my vision, and then my body, and finally my mind. For once, I knew true pain and fear. I saw my parents, and I knew I would never see my sisters again.

  My parents were dressed the same as they’d been the night they died, and I couldn’t help but try to run to them. Something held me back. I tore my eyes away from them and looked behind me. A hole appeared in the blackness. Beautiful, brilliant white light flooded in, filled with images of the living. Images of people I cared about.

  I turned back and looked at my parents. They were reaching for me. My father called my name, and I ran toward them, but my feet were slow and dragging.

  Something tugged at me. Something I had to remember. These were my parents. My parents needed me. They’d always needed me. It was my fault they were dead . . .

  Dead.

  I was . . . dead. Dying. It was my fault they’d died, and now they’d come to claim me in return. If I had to go, it was only right. Only fair for taking their lives.

  I felt another tug.

  When I turned around, my heart broke. My sisters were standing over me. Alexandra was screaming and crying, and Lily . . . white glowed from her hands. She was trying to heal me.

  “It won’t work,” the shadows whispered in my subconscious.

  They were right. She could try all she wanted, but Lily wasn’t strong enough. Even with all her power, she couldn’t bring me back. The world of the dead was here to claim me. It was my fault my parents had died, and now I’d stolen Lily’s life right out from under them when I’d rescued her and the others at the warehouse, and they were not happy.

  My sisters faded as the dark closed around me.

  “This is it,” I whispered.

  Only blackness remained. My parents welcomed me with open arms, but they were different. They were laughing—cackling. My resolve faltered.

  It wasn’t them. It was the world of the dead trying to trick me into not fighting. Into giving up.

  “You’re not a quitter, Selena. Keep fighting. For me,” Lucas said softly.

  His voice was the only thing that made sense here. When another tug came, I turned around before the world of the shadows consumed me. One image had remained when the rest faded. Lucas stood over me, and I could see it in his eyes. He knew I was looking at him.

  I had to leave. Run. This was a trick. It all was a trick.

  I ran, trying to flee the darkness, but it followed me. It grabbed my arms and legs so that I couldn’t move. I struggled, trying anything to get away. But he was fading. His voice was fading. I was going to die.

  I lashed out with everything I had. My final shot at escape. Everything disappeared.

  My eyes flew open.

  I was in a white room. It was chaos. My sisters were there with Coach Avery, Professor Vonlowsky, and Lucas. When I’d lashed out, I must’ve thrown them, because bodies littered the floor. Heavy leather restraints bit into my wrists and ankles, but I wasn’t lying on the bed—I was suspended a few feet over it. Purple-black energy surrounded around me. Encased me. My arms swayed at my sides, and my black hair swirled around me like the sticky tendrils of death.

  I took in a single breath of air, and fell. Everything was black.

  ~.~.~

  This time when the darkness came for me, it wasn’t death, but a dreamless sleep. For that I was thankful. I didn’t have it in me to fight death again. My body pieced itself back together ever-so-slowly as the darkness kept me safe. I didn’t want to go back. I needed to go back. Death was easy, and life would be hard, but I had promises to keep, and miles to go before I could sleep . . .

  ~.~.~

  My eyes fluttered open. The white room was in darkness. Nighttime. I was alone, apart from Ms. Love, the school’s resident healer. She was standing next to me, taking my temperature.

  I looked up at her with questioning eyes.

  She sighed. “Welcome back to the world of the living,” she said.

  I stayed quiet, not knowing where to start. What questions to ask first.

  “You gave us all quite a scare, you know . . .”

  I looked down at my wrists, remembering the last time I awoke. The restraints had been removed, leaving them red and raw.

  “You look confused. Would you like to talk?” she asked, offering me the little push I needed.

  “Where is everyone?” I stumbled over the words. After not talking for so long, my voice was scratchy and broken.

  “Your sisters went back to their rooms about an hour ago. I agreed to get them if you woke up.” She started changing the IV bags filled with mysterious liquid I could only assume were keeping me both hydrated and alive.

  “What about—” I tried to ask.

  “Lucas?” she guessed. A knowing smile ghosted across her face. “He left a few moments ago. I told him to get some fresh air. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure,” she said.

  I nodded. “What happened?”

  “Well, three days ago, they rushed you out of the plane and into here. For a while you seemed to be doing better, but then you suddenly crashed. None of us thought you’d make it. Lily tried healing you, but you started fighting back. We tried to restrain you, but it became so bad that you broke away. That was when you woke up the first time.”

  Her gaze avoided mine. I could guess what was troubling her.

  “You fainted, but we kept you hooked up in case you had a relapse. You continued sleeping peacefully for the rest of the day. Professor Vonlowsky left with Headmaster Daizlei after I told them you were stable. You’re going to be okay.”

  That probably would’ve been reassuring to any other patient. For me, it meant only one thing. My secret was out.

  I was back.

  “I shouldn’t be alive,” I whispered.

  “No, you shouldn’t. Your cuts were too deep, and you’d lost so much blood before they even got you back here. If it weren’t for your sister, I don’t know if you’d be here right now.”

  I sighed. We sat in silence for a while. She didn’t know the real reason I’d lived, but I did. Lily couldn’t have saved me on her own. It was because of Lucas that I was here.

  “What’s going to happen?” I asked her. My voice was getting stronger by the minute.

  “I don’t know, my dear.” We stayed silent for a few more minutes before there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” she called.

  I knew who it was before he opened the door.

  “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She gathered her things and left the ro
om.

  He walked toward me, almost hesitantly. I gave him a weak smile and he took a seat in the chair next to mine. We didn’t speak, but I could see the questions in his eyes. I was on shaky ground.

  “Ask,” I said. Not that I was in any place to be telling him what to do.

  “I don’t know where to start,” he murmured.

  “I lied to you, I’m telekinetic, I’m dangerous . . . the list goes on and on. Take your pick,” I said, feeling hopeless. I couldn’t hold his gaze anymore. I had to look away. This was the thing I’d been so scared of, right here in this room. I would lose my best friend because of what I was.

  “Yes, you lied to me, but I’m not angry. I know you’re telekinetic, but I’m not scared. And you’ve always been dangerous, but not to me.” His voice was gentle, and he took my chin, turning my face back toward him so that I had to look. “Those weren’t my questions; they were your fears.” He spoke so quietly, yet he was the only thing I could hear.

  “What’s going to happen now?” I whispered.

  “I can’t tell you for sure, but they’re probably going to have questions only you can answer. There’s going to be a lot happening here in the next few days while they try to straighten this out.” He sighed, and ran his thumb over my cheek ever so softly.

  “Lily!” I exclaimed in a panic, ashamed that I’d only just remembered to ask about her.

  “She’s fine. They fixed her arm, and her concussion wasn’t that bad. She’s even back in school,” he assured me.

  Silence filled the room, but it wasn’t awkward or strange. We understood each other, and he knew the truth now. Strangely enough, he didn’t hate me. I was relieved; a weight was lifted from my shoulders that had been there too long.

  My eyes watered, and for the first time in over six years, a single tear ran down my cheek.

  “It’s okay. Everything has a way of working itself out,” he whispered, wiping away the tear and taking my hand. He trailed his fingers lightly across my scars, and I released his hand. I’d forgotten about those.

  “What is it?” He sounded concerned.

  “I need a mirror. I have to see something,” I insisted as I slipped out of bed.

  Once I was on my feet, I stumbled and started falling into the IV stand. He came around and grabbed my arm, keeping me steady. I started to walk toward the bathroom, wheeling the stand with me. When I flipped the light on, I sucked in a breath.

  My hair and face were pretty normal, and someone had wiped the blood and grime from me. For whatever reason, they’d kept me in the same clothes they’d found me in. I was going to need a shower ASAP. My scars stood out stark against my skin. A sickly red line wound around my arms. When I held my palms out, they sported identical hexagrams. I turned to see my back and swept my hair aside. The tank top had been cut off and now hung from my arms by the tiny straps, leaving my back bare. In between my shoulder blades was a giant, red, six-pointed star that matched the ones on my palms. If it hadn’t been so gruesome, it would’ve been beautiful—in a cruel way. I turned around to see the smallest star just below the hollow of my throat. These scars . . . they were the markings of a warrior. I flinched when remembering how I’d gotten them, but I wasn’t going to live in fear of my own body. Things were changing, and these were just the start of it. Someone was after me. Let these scars serve as a reminder of what happened to those who crossed me.

  “Lily was able to take you out of danger, but she wasn’t strong enough to heal it all the way.” His eyes didn’t leave the scars.

  “Do they bother you?” I asked.

  “No. They make you look . . . exotic.” He ran his hands lightly over my arms, following the scars. I shivered under his touch, but it wasn’t from pain.

  “How’d you get them?” He must’ve heard about the demons from the others, but they’d missed a lot of it. That was a question I wasn’t ready to go into detail over, not yet. But I owed him an explanation for giving me more kindness than I’d deserved.

  “They questioned me, and when I wouldn’t give them any answers, they used other means to get them. The pain was excruciating.” I flinched, remembering. It would take a long time to dull the pain of that knife in my memory. “I didn’t give in; not until I had no other choice.”

  I saw the leader who’d marked me; the malice in his smile. He’d been smiling even as his head fell to the floor and turned to ash. I would never forget.

  “Lily told me they took her and forced you to watch while they tried to kill her.” He grimaced.

  “Yes, that came after these. When I didn’t give in, they tried to kill her, and I lost it. There were seven, and then there was just me. I killed them all.”

  “Does it bother you?” I could tell he wanted to say more, to know more, but I was only willing to share so much. I had changed. I was tortured. Now, I was different.

  “No, it only made me stronger.”

  I wasn’t dormant anymore, and my power was returning at an alarming rate. I not only had my curse back, but I was stronger, faster, sharper. Whether I liked it or not, my ability was a part of me. I had forced it away for years, but even if I’d wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to do it again. Besides, everyone already knew about it now. The damage was done.

  “You gave up being dormant to save your sister.”

  “Yes.”

  I looked at his eyes, the very essence that had brought me to life a year ago when I first saw them. I’d given up being dormant for my sister. Only he knew that even for saving her I wouldn’t endanger him. I hadn’t let him come because I cared too much. If I’d given up being dormant for her, I didn’t want to think about what I would do for him.

  “Now what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to deal with it. Whatever happens from here, I’ll take care of it. I’m not hiding anymore. That didn’t get me very far last time,” I said.

  Only then did I realize he hadn’t spoken. My shield was in tatters, and despite that, I sighed in contentment, leaning against him. He was safe, my sisters were safe, and I was alive. For the first time since my parents died, I was glad of it.

  In fighting death, I’d realized how much I wanted to live.

  Chapter 54

  “Ms. Foster, we would like to have a chat with you.” Vonlowsky barged into the room without even knocking, and Headmaster Daizlei followed. This must be the backlash I was waiting for.

  “What do you want?” I sighed.

  For some reason, Vonlowsky always put me on edge. Perhaps because he’d known long before anyone else that I wasn’t using my true ability. Aside from that, the man lacked manners. I didn’t understand how he was able to get along with members of the Council.

  “You recently hijacked a jet from the Council without permission, threatened its pilot, left campus to hunt down demons, and only narrowly escaped with your life. I don’t believe you’re in a position to have an attitude, Ms. Foster,” he snarled.

  “And I don’t believe you’re in a position to be questioning me, but here you are,” I said icily.

  His gaze narrowed.

  “We’re not here to question you, Ms. Foster, we would just like to talk,” Headmaster Daizlei said as he tried to smooth things over. The man was several hundred years old and had mastered the act of choosing one’s battles wisely.

  “About?” I asked.

  “A number of things . . . ” He glanced around the room as if he were interested in it, but I knew the meaning behind his words.

  “My ability,” I summed up for them.

  “Of course—”

  “Among other things,” Daizlei assured me, cutting Vonlowsky off.

  “Well, can you cut to the chase? My sisters are going to be here soon,” I said with a certain distaste.

  “It’s been brought to my attention that we have a prodigy in our midst. I’ve been asked to move you up to a senior Advanced Battle Simulation class. How do you feel about this?”

  I considered his proposition. With my ability back,
I was even further above my peers. My sisters were also being moved up, which would allow me to keep an eye on them, and I was going to need to perfect my self-control and learn how to use my ability. If there was one thing I’d learned from the demons, it was that this was only the beginning. Someone was looking for me. Someone knew the truth. I needed to be able to protect my sisters—and myself—until I could hunt them down.

  “I’ll do it, but with the understanding that you don’t control me. If I say no, I mean it.”

  Vonlowsky’s face flamed with outrage. “Why, you insolent—”

  “Understood.” Daizlei again overrode Vonlowsky’s insult and agreed to my condition.

  “She is a child! I will not take commands from children, no matter how gifted they may be!” His gaze went between the headmaster and me.

  “I haven’t been a child in a long time. I grew up. Maybe you should do the same.” I shifted out of bed so that I was standing. Without the IVs, the process was so much easier. “I’ve been taking care of my sisters since I was ten years old. I got them through everything. Where were you guys when we manifested? When I had to cover up our abilities over and over again? When we moved from house to house because we weren’t wanted, and trouble followed us everywhere we went? My point: you weren’t there. None of you were, and now you suddenly think you’re in a position to make demands?”

  I didn’t raise my voice as I strode up to him. In the bare hospital gown I wore, my scars were very visible. His eyes went to my arms as I advanced.

  “In fact, where were you when three students disappeared on a trip you people took them on? I’ve been watching them for six years on my own, and I never once let them get into danger like that. You weren’t there. I had time to leave the Council—halfway across the world, let me remind you—and I still got there before anyone knew what had happened. I was the one who took the risk.” I paused, looking at my palms. “I was the one who was tortured.” His eyes flashed to my open palms as I ran my fingers over the scars. “I was the one who killed every single one of them. And I lived.” I clenched my hands into fists, and turned a hard glare on him. “Not you. We were surviving without you, so before you go assuming yourself superior to me just because of your age, think again.” I was directly in front of him now, and out of breath.